Rumors at the Inn
by americanstalker
Summary: Rumors can't always be believed. 2019 SSSW Contest. Not beta-ed.


Rumors at the Inn

_Rumors can't always be believed. Entry for the 2019 SSSW Challenge._

"Are you sure you want to meet her by yourself, sir?" Hogan was asked for what seemed like the millionth time, this time by Kinch.

He was going to meet a young-but-experienced operative called Prancer, part of a ring known as "the Sleigh," in which every member was codenamed after one of Santa's reindeer. She had a bit of a reputation as a "tough tomboy," which, for some reason, scared some people away.

"Why wouldn't I be?" Hogan asked as he finished getting dressed in his civilian suit and tie. The "tough tomboy" reputation didn't rattle him. His opinion on tomboys was that tomboys might be rough around the edges, and maybe even rough in bed, but still harmless.

"Guv'nor, haven't you heard the rumors? She threatened some SS officers a while back, which is why they're scared of her. She said that she was going to assault them if she ever found out about them trying anything with female operatives!" Newkirk almost squeaked.

"What are you trying to say?" Hogan rarely believed in rumors. He felt that they were sometimes started just to scare others from doing their jobs.

"Just that once she gets you alone in the inn, there's no telling what will happen," Carter warned his commander.

While the same was said about Marya, everything they said about Prancer was on a different level. Hogan decided that he had to find out more before he went any further.

"What did she say she was going to do them?" Hogan asked, getting slightly concerned.

"She said that she was going to stick her fist up their-," LeBeau started.

"Okay, I get the picture," he interrupted. "She's Mata Hari's evil twin. But there has to be a reason for it. I'll find out what's going on. We'll have to figure out why she did it so we can determine if we can do any more work with her," Hogan told them as he grabbed his white overcoat and slapped the hidden mechanism on the bunk bed that caused the false bunk to rise and ladder to fall.

While it did take a lot to rattle him, Hogan did shudder a bit. _Stick her fist up their rear ends? Maybe I should go back and get my bulletproof vest and pistol, just in case, _he thought as he went through the tunnel and popped up through the tree stump.

Hogan went into the room he reserved, ordered some champagne, and waited for her. A few minutes later, he heard a knock on the door. He opened, and there was Prancer. She looked like she was even younger than nineteen, possibly as young as sixteen, wearing a dark sweater and trousers with her boyishly-short hair was covered under a hat.

"Come on in," Hogan greeted the young operative and let her in. She took off her hat and placed it on the writing desk next to the manila envelope which contained documents about a ball-bearing factory. She then sat in the easy chair tucked in the corner across the bed, which was as close as Hogan wanted her to get for the time being.

"So, you're Papa Bear, right?" She asked, more out of curiosity than wonder.

"Yes, I am. Are you Prancer?" Hogan asked in reply. He would have invited her to sit next to him, but she was a bit hard to read. He wasn't sure if she was going to kiss him or strangle him.

"You can say that. I've been called several things. The SS's worst nightmare, Mata Hari's evil twin, insane, and a few other unmentionable things. It comes with the territory I suppose," she explained with a neutral tone.

"Sounds like you're used to it," Hogan replied with a raised eyebrow.

" You have to be. If you're a woman in this line of work, you have to be prepared to deal with others, and with whatever consequences come your way. I've been looking out for myself since I was quite young. I've never had a relationship with a man. My only experiences with the opposite sex have been with the Underground. The only man that I'm truly close to right now is Donner, another operative. He's the reason I got involved. He's a few years older than me, and an accident when he was in the army caused him to lose fifty percent of his hearing. They don't want him back," the young woman explained calmly as if she was talking about how to assemble a piece of furniture.

"How do you know him?" Hogan asked, offering her some champagne.

"We grew up together. You could say we're best friends. I was there for him when he had a hard time finding work after his time in the army was over, and he was there for me when my parents were arrested." Prancer explained, turning him down by stating that she didn't drink on the job.

Now it was beginning to make sense. Prancer felt that she needed to be able to take care of herself. She knew this business was dangerous and that it was even more so for women. She also felt that she needed to protect Donner, out of gratitude, who also had his own problems.

"Prancer, if we are going to go any further, I need to discuss something with you," Hogan told her, and she gestured for him to proceed.

"Is it true that you threatened those SS officers?" he asked her, to which she simply nodded.

"But why? Do you know how much trouble you could have gotten yourself, and possibly others into?" He asked her with a slightly stern tone like he would if he were scolding a child that had misbehaved.

"How would _you_ feel if your parents were arrested by the SS? Not to mention the fact that those _schweinehunde _(German insult, literally "pig dogs," means "bastards") are the most brutal things on the face of the planet!" Prancer nearly screamed as tears began to form.

Now Hogan was beginning to see a shred of vulnerability. The "tough tomboy" facade was starting to crumble. He invited her to sit down next to him, which she did.

"I understand, and you have no argument from me there, but you can't let your emotions get in the way of your work. If you do that, you're going to end up in a lot of trouble, possibly dead because you messed with the wrong person. You're lucky that you just scared those SS officers. You could have run into someone that isn't rattled by anything, and you could have been killed.

"And what about Donner? What would happen to him? From what you've told me, he's all you have left. That's another reason you need to be careful. I know you feel the need to protect him to a degree, and that you're grateful to him. But there are far better ways of showing it," Hogan rebuked her slightly.

Prancer started to wipe the tears out of her eyes. He was right, and she knew it. This act of being "too hard to handle" was only going to end badly, not only for her, but also for Donner, and the rest of the Sleigh. Then what?

Then it dawned on him; he reminded her of someone he knew. "You know, you remind me of someone very dear to me, except you're younger and more on the brash side. She isn't afraid of anyone or anything, which is what you need to be in this line of work. That has also gotten her into a lot of trouble. I don't want that to happen to you. I think you have a promising career ahead of you," Hogan told her, more gently this time.

This was all too much for Prancer to take. She had _never_ exposed her vulnerable side to _anyone_. She was especially humiliated that she has done so to Papa Bear, of all people, who she greatly admired. She decided it was time to leave.

"The documents are on the desk. They tell you everything you need to know about that ball-bearing factory. If you want to work with me again, let Donner know. He'll be more than happy to facilitate the meeting," Prancer told him as she got up to leave.

With that, she picked up her hat and walked out of the room, leaving a very confused Hogan in her wake.

A couple of hours later, Hogan emerged from beneath the false bunk, and he slammed the false mechanism on the side of the bunk bed, causing the false bunk to fall and the ladder to rise.

"Guv! You came back alive, I see," Newkirk shouted in surprise when he saw him.

"So? Is she safe? Or is she on the list of agents that are a danger to work with?" Kinch asked their commander.

"I think she's okay. A little hard to read, maybe rough around the edges, as most tomboys are, but I think she can be trusted," Hogan said to his team, informing them of Prancer. He then went on to tell them how her parents were arrested by the SS when she was young and that she was taken in by her best friend, Donner, who got her into the Underground and that she was trying to protect out of gratitude.

"Don't you think there are better ways of showing her gratitude?" Newkirk asked with a confused look on his face.

"I asked her that same question. She told me I was right. I like the fact that she's passionate and fearless, those are things that can't be taught, but she also needs to learn tact. She can't go around trying to scare people, because she could get herself killed for messing with the wrong person on the wrong day, which is also what I told her," he explained.

They all nodded. If anyone could teach her that, it was Hogan. He could be a wise guy at times, but he also knew when it was the right time to be tactful.

"So, Colonel, for the million dollar question, are we going to work with her again?" Kinch asked him.

Hogan nodded. "She told me to talk to her friend Donner. I think that maybe one of you guys should go to the inn next time, be alone with her, and draw your own conclusion. I think you might like her," Hogan told his men.

As he finished his sentence, Hogan went to his room with the envelope to change and left the rest of the men as dumbfounded as Prancer left him.

"I guess that's what we get for believing rumors," Kinch observed to the rest of the Unsung Heroes.

"So who's going to do it, because it's not going to be me," LeBeau protested.

"We'll cross that bridge when Andrew blows it up," Newkirk quipped as they all went to bed.


End file.
